'Fifty Shades of Black' Star Reveals How EL James Feels About His Parody

While you wait another year for more Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele to delight your senses at a theater near you, parody Fifty Shades of Black will fill in the gap by tickling your funny bone. Comedian and writer Marlon Wayans revealed the reason Fifty Shades of Grey inspired him to take on the mammoth task of mocking EL James's beloved creation — in the most flattering way possible.

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First thing's first: Fifty Shades of Black isn't an attempt on Marlon's part to trash Fifty Shades of Grey — it's actually meant for fans of the movie, who are encouraged to lovingly poke fun at the seriousness of key scenes. If you're wondering what would inspire him to choose James's material, he explains it has everything to do with his love of women: "When I had seen women on the plane reading this book and just getting so hot and bothered, I was like, what is in this?!" he told the Hollywood Reporter. "Part of me was reading it because I wanted to learn something, because, you know, women, I always want to please you guys."

Alongside writing partner Rick Alvarez, Wayans got to work penning the script that would become Fifty Shades of Black, which he shot for under $5 million, despite scoring performances from TV and movie veterans Florence Henderson (The Brady Bunch!), Jane Seymour, Mike Epps, and Kali Hawk.

It sounds like Wayans approached the parody with a great deal of thought and consideration for his female audience. He says he made sure to create characters his viewers will care about and like, but that he went a little heavy on the stalker tendencies of his Christian Grey-ish male lead, albeit in a humorous way.

If you're wondering whether James is offended by Fifty Shades of Black, nothing could be further from the truth. Marlon says he and EL actually met up and had "a couple thousands of glasses of wine" together and that he assured her that, aside from a few jokes she may find offensive, he thinks she'll find the film "absolutely hilarious."

I'll admit: I'm more excited about Marlon's take on the BDSM film than I am about Fifty Shades Darker. If the jokes are as clever as he promises, it could prove to be a breakout hit. Judging by the bidding war it reportedly caused at Cannes, a few other people feel the same way.